CryptoKitties: A Closer Look

The pioneers of crypto collectibles, mass adoption contributors, and ultimate charmers: CryptoKitties, are about to give away their last Gen 0 paws. In the course of recent events, this actually seems quite symbolic. Right before releasing the very last great-grandparent Kitty, the company behind the game made a quantum leap. Significant investment support immediately opened new doors for the Kitties’ developers, and their community is waiting with bated breath for the game to enter a whole new level.

At a time when other blockchain projects have been busy bringing out new coins, this ‘cute little game’ stood out and delivered a totally different message.

So what is that secret ingredient they put into their crypto recipe?

Kitties on a Mission

Everyone loves cats! Even if you are a dog person, we know you secretly watch cat videos anyway, don’t you? But certainly, not everyone loves or is even familiar with the blockchain and crypto industry, and honestly, it’s not that surprising at all. Things like ‘decentralization’ or ‘Ethereum’ sound way too complicated and are clearly just another trend for miners or traders.

Except they are not.

Here is the biggest revelation: CryptoKitties’ ultimate goal is to show that blockchain is not only about bitcoin, mining, or transaction fees. The game creators want to fulfill the original purpose of all the games — they want to educate.

Let’s use an example.

How do you get a Kitty and what are you supposed to do with it later on?

Answering the second question is not that tricky. What do people usually do with cats? Most of the time humans simply appreciate the fact that they are allowed to be around cats. Sometimes they sell (oh no!) or gift them. Introduce them to each other. Play games. Oh, and make funny videos, of course.

Well the same goes for CryptoKitties. You can breed, sell, trade, gift, adore, and worship your digital pets. What else could you possibly want?

But first of all, you have to buy and keep it somewhere, and for that you need a special token wallet. And you also need to have some Ether. And pay the gas fee because every transaction is powered by a smart contract. Those things don’t sound so foreign to an average crypto-enthusiast, but can easily scare a layperson away. However, the temptation to get yourself a cute little crypto-creature can become a strong motivation.

Actually, after CryptoKitties came out, 80,000 new users registered on Metamask over the course of several weeks. One should never underestimate the power of cuteness!

So here is a little advice for the newbies: if you’re dedicated, you’ll figure it out soon enough. It’s easy, we promise — next thing you know, you’ll be a crazy crypto-cat lady that tweets about mass adoption!

Just kidding. But the idea is brilliant.

In fact, it was so brilliant that in within one year CryptoKitties have raised $27,9 million by venture capital firms Venrock, Samsung Next, and GV. Rare collectible items have always attracted people’s attention, and that’s one of the reasons why Venrock invested $17 million in CryptoKitties. Blockchain, in turn, can become a powerful weapon that can join the fight against copies and fakes, collectors’ main enemies.

All this funding is going to be used for greater expansion. Dapper Labs, the Canadian company behind the game, is now opening their new offices in LA and engaging more and more allies in the hopes of growing their “KittyVerse”. The CEO of Dapper Labs, Roham Gharegozlou, commented on why this investment is important:

“Our mission at Dapper Labs is to use games and entertainment to bring the values of decentralization to billions of consumers worldwide. This round of financing was about getting the right partners around the table to bring compelling content to the blockchain — and make sure usability and infrastructure allow for adoption by mainstream consumers.”

The underlying concept behind blockchain is that it allows anyone to contribute to the game, and CryptoKitties’ team is actually encouraging developers to join them on this journey.

They say that in the future we will be able to not only just breed and race them, but also even take part in real catfights.

Did You Say Breed?

One of the most curious (so far, there’s more to come) things about these Kitties is their breeding ability.

A few things before we start — there are no male or female creatures in CryptoKitties’ world, which makes sense since it’s quite convenient. And isn’t blockchain supposed to make things more convenient? Instead, the Kitties can either be Dame or Sire, whatever pleases you more, and this can also be changed. However, while a CryptoKitty couple is expecting a little one they cannot swap their roles.

In order to breed your pets, you have to pay a certain fee (it includes both transaction and birthing fees) in Ether.

You can choose two of your own creatures, and make them happy parents, or you can pick a proper Sire for your Dame on the marketplace.

Of course, you have to be picky because you obviously want your kittens to be strong, beautiful, and healthy, and that means you’ve gotta pass them some good genes. It’s not only about the looks, although they are the most obvious Cattributes. Gene-mutation can be quite unpredictable.

There are some reasonable rules though, like a cooldown time when you should give your pets a rest and let them recover. Also, breeding Kitties with their own siblings or parents is obviously not possible and we’re astounded you even thought of that!

Each CryptoKitty belongs to a particular generation and they are all numbered so. Gen 0 is the original one, sort of a pilot version. Only 50,000 Gen 0 cats are going to be released and they are the only ones who come into the world without breeding procedures. This brings up a question.

Do you know what happens every 15 minutes?

A Gen 0 Kitty is born!

The special ability of this generation is a faster breeding speed and these species usually have some rare traits that could help with producing unique offspring.

The countdown of the Kitty Clock is going to stop at the end of November when the last Gen 0 Kitty will be released, so you still have some time to buy one!

The Bottom Line

So what’s gonna happen to CryptoKittes in the end?

They’ve already proved they can make a point. Answering an interview question about the company’s biggest statement Bryce Bladon, one of Kittie’s co-founders said:

“I think our moment was when the Ethereum network stopped working for a bit. It became very clogged with a bunch of cats and we feel really bad about that…”

We can guess all we want about what the future holds for this ambitious project, but there is one important thing to consider: the game itself has never been just about the Kitties. It’s about art, community, and contribution.

Our contribution

Lumi Collect is an Ethereum wallet for ERC-721 tokens such as CryptoKitties. It is a first-of-its-kind mobile app to display and manage all of your crypto collectibles and in-game assets in one place. For instance, you can perform in-game actions like gifting, selling, or breeding CryptoKitties right in the app. We are constantly developing our product and doing our best to make blockchain accessible to everyone. If you want to get in touch with us just join our Telegram public chat. Or you can follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and Reddit and get our most recent updates firsthand!

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